October 30, 2008

Partner with the American Red Cross by becoming a HERO…helping us help others when Help Can’t Wait! Our 2009 Heroes campaign launches on March 10, 2009. Call (812) 332-7292 or email suegulley@monroe-redcross.org to find out how you can become involved in Heroes for the American Red Cross in Monroe and Owen Counties.


The Monroe County Chapter of the American Red Cross would like to thank all the “Heroes” who participated in our second annual Heroes for the American Red Cross Campaign. Over sixty-five individuals, groups, schools, and businesses in Monroe and Owen Counties either donated or raised $1,000 or more within a 6-week campaign period to help fund the critical emergency preparedness, service to armed forces, and disaster response services that are provided by the American Red Cross 24/7, 365 days a year through the Monroe County Chapter. Many more helped these heroes with contributions of $1 up to $999.

Thank you to these Heroes: Alpha Tau Omega; Bob Althauser; American Red Cross Club at IU; Apparel Design Group; Batchelor Middle School; Bloom Marketing Group; Bloomington North Rotary Club; Blue Grass Farms, Inc.; Brehob Nursery, Inc.; Tim Brown;, Marvin Carmack; Cassady Electric; CFC Incorporated; Cook; Curry Buick Cadillac; Marcus Debro & Kathy Duckett; Jack & Lisa Deinlein; Christina Divine & The Curare Group; Elmore Group; Fine Print; First Appraisal Group; Forest Commodities, Inc.; Tim Frazier & Regions Bank; Mr. & Mrs. Whitney Gates; Global Interactive Voices; Hanapin Marketing; Kris Heeter & Jazzercise; Steven T. Hunt & Weddle Bros. Construction Companies, Inc.; Indiana Home Health Care; Janko’s Little Zagreb; Patricia Kingsbury; Jane Laughlin & Southern Indiana Pediatrics; Gene & Gayl Laughman with Bloomington & Hoosier Liquors; Bob May; John & Karen Mikesell; Monroe Hospital; Elizabeth Myers; Ben Niehoff & Andrews, Harrell, Mann, Carmin & Parker, Attorneys at Law; Joseph O’Connor and Bunger & Robertson; Jim Parrott & the City of Bloomington Firefighters Union Local 586; PTS Electronics; Chris Quackenbush & Raymond James Investments; Radisson Hotels & Resorts; Jana Rechter; Rogers Group Investments, Inc.; Elizabeth Roos; RPR; Bill Sibbitt; Sims & Pedigo Company; Mr. & Mrs. Chip Snively; Tri North Middle School; Philip & Betsy Trotzke; Bill Verhagen, Innovative Financial Solutions; David Whaley, Whaley Construction; Jack White and Owen County Volunteer Firefighters; and Jeremiah Young & Nature’s Way, Inc.

Other campaign contributors included: Andersen Construction; B&L Sheet Metal & Roofing; Bloomington High School North; James Bohrer & Denise Howard; Eleanor Byrnes; Fox Construction; Stephen Huse; Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Jackson Creek Middle School; Oliver Winery; Papa John’s Pizza; Angela Parker; Siam House; Smithville Telephone, Inc.; Spirit of Service Committee of Tichenor’s Publishing; Ron Thompson, ENKEI; and Andrew & Susan Williams. We thank them for their support.

We are also grateful for the local businesses who continue to show support to our chapter by donating prizes when we need for them for our special events: Aver’s Pizza, Bear’s Place, Bed Bath & Beyond, Blockbuster Video, Bloomington Bagel Company, Brown County Inn, Cereal Barn, Chicago’s Pizza, Chick-fil-a, Classic Bowling Lanes, Cord Camera, Grazie!, Holiday World/Splashin’ Safari, Huse Food Group, Indianapolis Indians, IU Auditorium, Kerasotes Theaters, Kilroys, Kilroy’s Sports Bar, Kroger at Jackson Creek, Lennies/Pizza Express, O’Charley’s, Red Lobster, Season’s Lodge, Smokin’ Jack’s Rib Shack, Steak & Shake, Steve Sheldon Photography, Texas Roadhouse, Textillery, Upland Brewing Company, Vance Music Center, Walmart, Wandering Turtle, and Yarns Unlimited.

At our closing celebration event, several Heroes were honored for their outstanding contributions in raising funds in their individual Heroes campaigns: Rogers Group Investments, Inc., Pat Kingsbury & Karen Mikesell, Jack White & the Owen County volunteer firefighters, and Jeremiah Young & Nature’s Way, Inc. Mr. Young was honored for his exemplary leadership as our second Heroes Campaign Chair. Our deep appreciation goes to everyone who helped us achieve such great success in the second year of our campaign.


Sincerely,

Sue Gulley
Executive Director

Monroe County Chapter’s 2008 Heroes campaign was launched in Bloomington, Indiana, on March 4th with a kick-off breakfast at the Radisson Hotels & Resorts. A full-page Heroes ad featuring all those who pledged to raise or give $1,000 was in the local newspaper the morning of the breakfast. Campaign chair and Red Cross Chapter Board member Jeremiah Young, owner of Nature’s Way, Inc. shared his personal story about the American Red Cross. Jeremiah cited an experience he had with an employee whose family home burned to the ground who was helped by our chapter disaster volunteers, who she called “angels.” Said Jeremiah, “This is about people helping people,” urging everyone to get involved with the Chapter staff and volunteers who help people when they are at their worst moments in life.

This year’s Heroes campaign was only the second one conducted by the Monroe County Red Cross Chapter, but several unique and creative ideas were launched to make the campaign outstanding. A Heroes blog was created http://redcrossheroes.blogspot.com/ that was updated every day with the total receipts and also announcements about special Heroes events that supporters could attend or participate in. The blog included links to the chapter website as well as to one individual Hero’s website who was raising funds online using “ChipIn,” a free software program. One of our Heroes had a plant sale at his landscape business which resulted in $4,000 being raised in a single day. A firefighter boot drive was held in a small town that raised $3,781 at two intersections. Six different volunteer firefighter companies participated in the boot drive. For the first time we had three middle schools and one high school participate by conducting Heroes campaigns. One middle school raised $1,200 in their coin drive! Chapter executive Sue Gulley stated, "From our first campaign to our second, the most astounding change was the growth in grass roots fund raising. The first year we raised $28,900, and the second year we raised $70,000, largely due to individuals rolling up their sleeves and raising more than their $1,000 goal.”

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

►Owen County Volunteer Firefighters to Conduct Boot Drive for Red Cross on April 5th

The Owen County Volunteer Firefighters will be holding a boot drive on Saturday, April 5 from 8 am – 2 pm at two major intersections in Spencer. All monies collected will benefit the disaster response, service to the military, and emergency preparedness services of the American Red Cross in Monroe and Owen Counties. The Red Cross is proud to call the Owen County Volunteer Firefighters “Heroes for the American Red Cross.”

►Book Sale at Jazzercise in Ellettsville on April 5th

Kris Heeter at Jazzercise will be conducting a Spring book sale at her Ellettsville location at the corner of Smith Pike and 46 Bypass West, from 11 am – 5 pm, to raise funds for her Heroes for the American Red Cross campaign. Stop by and browse to pick up your summer reading material!

Upcoming Events with the IU Red Cross Club

COUCH-A-THON
April 2nd, ALL DAY!
10th and Jordan Ave.
(Stop by to support the cause!)


CORNHOLE (Bean Bag Toss) TOURNAMENT
April 6th, 1-4pm
Dunn Meadow
(RSVP is encouraged)

Help The Heroes Campaign by participating in the
Cornhole Tournament! Buy-in is $10/person. All proceeds go to The Red Cross! Food & Drinks will be provided!
Prizes will be awarded,1st Prize worth over $100

Plant Sale at Nature's Way, Inc. on April 12th!

Nature's Way, Inc. is having a plant sale on Saturday, April 12th at 10am to benefit the American Red Cross of Monroe County. Interior and exterior plants, mulch, flowers and doorprizes will be available. Nature's Way, Inc. is located at 7330 N. Wayport Rd. See you there!

Benefit for the American Red Cross at Siam House

For the past 18 years Siam House has been serving delicious Thai cuisine to the people of Bloomington, and they have decided to celebrate nearly two decades of success by holding a benefit brunch for the American Red Cross Monroe County Chapter and the Monroe County Humane Association. The event will be held on Sunday April 6th from 11am until 3pm. The cost is $15 per person and all proceeds benefit the American Red Cross Monroe County Chapter and the Monroe County Humane Association. Come help us celebrate 18 years of Siam House and the American Red Cross’ dedication to providing help when our community members need help the most. See you Sunday the 6th!

From Sue Gulley


Well, today marks the beginning of the fourth week of our six-week Heroes for the American Red Cross campaign. We’ve reached 57% of our goal in donations for which we are so grateful. Most people in our community don’t realize that we receive no federal or state funding to provide the disaster response and emergency preparedness services to residents in Monroe and Owen Counties. Every year we must raise the monies it takes to be ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year…to relay emergency communications to military members all over the globe, or to go to the scene of a home fire and provide on-the-spot emergency assistance to a family who would otherwise have nowhere to turn to in the middle of the night.

We have a total of 62 individuals, businesses, clubs, and organizations that committed their resources to raise funds for the American Red Cross mission services by running their own Heroes campaign or giving individually. Each one of you who GIVES BIG is our Hero, and we are so thankful for your generosity.

Don’t forget to mark the date of Tuesday, April 15th, at Noon, to come to our 2008 Heroes for the American Red Cross Celebration Luncheon at the Radisson Hotel. We have some great surprises for our Heroes and I assure you it will be a memorable hour well worth your time.

Support the American Red Cross Club at IU Heroes Campaign

Tuesday, March 25th beginning at 6:00 pm the American Red Cross Club of IU will be having a Poker Tournament to raise money for the Heroes Campaign. It will be held at the Business School in room BU 732. The cost to enter the tournament is $10 per person and all proceeds go to support our local Red Cross Chapter through the Heroes Campaign. The Club is asking that everyone RSVP to this event so that they know how many people to expect. Please RSVP to this event by emailing Eric Baker at erdbaker@indiana.edu and come out and enjoy and fun night playing Poker. This is a fun and easy way to help the Heroes campaign and also meet other members in the club. Let your friends and roommates know about the tournament as well.

The style of poker that will be played is Texas Hold'em and prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

1st place prize includes 1 $25 Kilroys Sports coupon, 1 $25 Smokin Jacks Rib Shack coupon, 1 Chick Fil A calendar filled with Chick Fil A coupons, and 1 Heroes Campaign T-shirt.

2nd place prize package includes 1 $10.95 Yogis gift card, 1 Chick Fil A calendar filled with coupons, and 1 Heroes Campaign T-shirt. Lastly the 3rd place prize package includes 1 $10.95 Yogis gift card, 1 Heros Campaign T-shirt, and 1 Red Cross Hat.

Support Papa John’s Heroes for the American Red Cross Campaign

The American Red Cross is teaming up with Papa John’s to raise money for their annual Red Cross Heroes Campaign. On Monday, March 24, Papa John’s will donate $1 from the sale of each pizza sold to the Monroe County Chapter of the American Red Cross. All four locations – north, south, Ellettsville, and Martinsville – will be participating. For more information, contact the Red Cross at 332-7292.

Heroes T Shirts are Here!

Our Heroes t-shirts are now on our website. Go to www.Monroe-redcross.org to see the order details and pictures.

From Sue Gulley

Happy St. Paddy’s Day! This is the third week of our Heroes campaign, and there are a couple of events on the calendar this week. On Tuesday the 18th I’ll be at a taping of a radio show on WGCL AM1370 to talk about the American Red Cross during National Red Cross month. Don Creek and Loni White from the Red Cross River Valley Blood Services Division will join me. Unfortunately, in our area we suffer critical blood shortages as the rule rather than the exception. If you haven’t donated blood in awhile, go to Givebloodnow.org, and type in your zip code to see where the next blood drive is being held, or go to the Bloomington blood donor site on 1600 West 3rd Street. This one action you can take in giving blood can save up to three lives- what an opportunity!

According to our calendar, Dodd’s House at Wright Quad will hold its Heroes couch-a-thon on Wed., March 19th so if you are in the area, stop by and drop your donation into the donation canister during their event. Thanks to Brent Postleweight for his work on organizing this event!

From Sue Gulley:

Congratulations to Pat Kingsbury and Karen Mikesell, who are Book Fair volunteer leaders, board members, and Heroes for the American Red Cross as well. Their Heroes campaign got a huge boost yesterday when we received a check for $1,000 from a donor who responded to their “Family & Friends” letter sent in the beginning of March. That one gift sent them well over their goal of $1,000 each to raise in support the disaster relief and emergency preparedness work of our local chapter. Well done, ladies, and thank you so much!

We hope our Heroes in Monroe and Owen Counties will feel free to post comments about their own campaigns on this blog—we are anxious to know how your campaigns are doing!

A Fundraising Idea for Your Campaign

Bloom Marketing Group has set a goal of $2000 for their Heroes Camapign fundraiser. To promote their fundraiser, Bloom Marketing Group has been displaying a thermometer tracking their progress. For every $200 raised, a company administrator is hit in the face with a pie. So far, Bloom Marketing Group has raised $500! Great job everybody, and thank you for your dedication to the American Red Cross!

Here are some Heroes events coming up:

This month you can support two different Heroes campaigns. Dodd’s House at Wright Quad on IU campus (on 10th and Jordan) will be sponsoring a “couch-a-thon” on March 19th to raise monies for their Heroes campaign. On March 24th, Papa Johns’ four stores in the area will be selling pizzas with a dollar from each pizza sold benefiting the Red Cross.

The Owen County volunteer firefighters will be conducting a Heroes boot drive on Saturday, April 5th from 8 am – Noon at two intersections in Spencer. Red Cross staff will be on hand with our Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) to show our support for their drive and to provide refreshments for the volunteers.

Also on April 5th, Kris Heeter at Jazzercise will be conducting a Spring book sale at her Ellettsville location at the corner of Smith Pike and 46 Bypass West, from 11 am – 5 pm, to benefit the Monroe County Red Cross.

Tim Brown, of Bloomington Hospital, has met his $1,000 goal for his Heroes campaign with gifts from colleagues and friends as well as a personal donation. Way to go, Tim!

Help Betsy Trotzke Become a Hero!

Betsy Trotzke of Hanapin Marketing has decided to become a Hero of the American Red Cross by pledging to raise $1,000. To help Betsy achieve her goal, click the 'Help Betsy Trotzke Become a Hero' link on the left side of the page. This is a great example of how to run your own online campaign. Thanks Betsy!

Update 3/7/08

We received $1,000 from Wayne Johnson, First Appraisal Group, and $1,000 from Bloomington North Rotary! Just received a call from Bob May, one of our lifetime board members, and he has reached his $1,000 Heroes goal through his family and friends letter sent out the last week in February. Thank you, Bob for raising monies for the American Red Cross.

We will be adding names of Heroes and contributors to our blog as our Heroes campaign progresses. We received great news yesterday that Jack White, EMA director in Owen County, has obtained the support of Owen County volunteer firefighters to be Heroes for the Red Cross. Way to go, Jack! Also, the Indiana University American Red Cross club members raised $81.66 in their promotion day at the Kelley School of Business yesterday. Great going, club members!

Thank you to these fine business contributors:

Avers, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chili’s, Delphi Graphics, Fox Construction, Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cecelia #166, IU Auditorium, Indianapolis Indians Baseball, Michael’s Uptown, O’Charley’s,
Oliver Winery, Season’s Lodge, Smithville Telephone Co.,
Steve Sheldon Photography, and Cereal Barn and Peanut Butter Cafe

2008 American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast at the Radisson

Thank you to everyone who came out for our Heroes kick-off breakfast today (March 4th) at the Radisson Hotel on the 46 Bypass at Kinser Pike. We were thrilled with the turnout and with the excitement we saw amongst our Heroes. Ours is the largest humanitarian organization in the country, and we’ve been there when people need us the most for 128 years.

After the program ended, guests crowded around the display table buying t-shirts, bandanas and getting their Heroes posters, Red Cross squares and Heroes folders. Good luck to each one of you who will be raising monies for the Red Cross. We’re here if you need help with your campaign. Call (812) 332-7292 or email to suegulley@monroe-redcross.org or conorburns@monroe-redcross.org.

Inaugural Post

Hey everybody, welcome to the Heroes for the American Red Cross Campaign blog. We will be updating the blog regularly with updates on the campaign, including Heroes' fundraising progress, and ideas for your own Heroes fundraiser. Stay tuned!